This year marks the tenth anniversary of Optical Materials Express (OMEx), launched in 2011 to meet the needs of researchers working in the broad area where optics and materials science overlap [1]. Ten years later OMEx serves as a home for conventional optical materials disciplines and for “new” communities that have not been part of OSA historically [2].

The inaugural issue, published in May 2011, contains research articles from top authors in the field and includes a focus issue on Chiral Optics [3]. It was the first of many issues featuring a collection of articles on a key topic. OMEx has since sustained a reputation for excellence and continues to attract top authors and reflect the areas of importance to the optical materials community.

Since launch, the Journal has published over 3200 papers and more than 50 feature issues [4] on current topics and hot and emerging areas. In fact, feature issues have been an important aspect of the Journal throughout the decade. There are seven topics already lined up for 2021, and we recently appointed a Feature Editor to help with feature issue development [5]. The Feature Editor also assists with recruiting authors to write Opinions, a new article type providing perspectives from key researchers in the field on topics of particular current interest.

Another new initiative of which we are especially proud is the OMEx Emerging Researcher Best Paper Prize [6]. Each year, the prize recognizes a student or early-career researcher (within five years of earning his/her highest degree) who is the first author of a paper that a committee of OMEx editors judges to be outstanding. As the Journal is an emerging forum for interdisciplinary research in current and emerging topics, we wanted to particularly recognize the work of emerging researchers who publish in OMEx.

At 66 days from submission to publication in 2020, OMEx is one of the fastest journals in the field. Additionally, published papers are highlighted through multiple outlets including press releases, Spotlight on Optics, and Editor Picks. These are a few of the many factors that ensure the success of the Journal, but there is one underlying factor that supports them all, and that is the community of editors, authors, and reviewers, whose hard work and dedication make the Journal what it is.

We are grateful for your efforts and look forward to your contributions in the coming decade, as those will ensure that OMEx remains a top choice for rapid publication of peer-reviewed research in the field of optical materials. In the meantime, be on the lookout for some special features celebrating the Journal’s first ten years, including topical and top-cited article collections.